One of the most pressing questions consumers have is, “What supplements do I need to take daily?” The answer should be simple, start with a strong foundation. Just as if you were building a home, you would first pour a strong foundation in which to build on. The same holds with taking dietary supplements. The four areas of supplementation consumers need fall into these categories: Antioxidant(s), Dietary Fibers, Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) and Key Vitamins & Minerals. When a person of any age begins with these four essential supplements, they are well on their way to creating and maintaining excellent health.
Before discussing these four key areas and why they are so crucial for building a solid supplement foundation, we need to take a closer look at the source of these whole food nutrients, the microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis (HP). Why is whole food so important? The body is designed to get its nutrients from the food it consumes and not anyone particle extracted or created in a laboratory. It is believed that getting nutrients from a whole food source is better identified, better absorbed and better utilized by the body. HP is a microalga and is considered one of nature’s most resilient living organisms. The high amount of astaxanthin (considered a super-antioxidant) which gives it its bright red color is produced when the algae are under stressful environmental conditions. It is believed that this production is part of the cells protective properties to sustain life and adapt to harsh conditions. This amazing microalga is also high in other nutritional and phytochemical compounds, i.e., astaxanthin, polysaccharides, EFAs and critical vitamins and minerals which make HP a super-superfood.
Returning to the four primary areas needed for a sound foundational supplement program, we can see that HP or in this case, AstaPure® Arava fit like a custom-made suit. We are taking a closer look at why each of these four areas will help us understand the actual benefits of consuming a whole-food supplement made from HP.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants are of vital importance at reducing our body’s risk for disease caused by free radical (not a hippie from the ’60s) damage. Free radicals come from many sources including; toxins in our food, air, water and are produced by the body as byproducts of natural processes. Free radical damage is linked to most of the significant health challenges we face. They can have a negative impact on any cell in your body: Heart, lung, eye, skin, liver, eye, bone, etc. We use “antioxidants” to help the body neutralize free radicals and hopefully keep us from having to face these health challenges.
AstaPure® Arava powder is an excellent source of whole food astaxanthin which is known as one of nature’s most potent antioxidant. Astaxanthin is more than 500 times stronger than vitamin E regarding antioxidant potency or power. The body will benefit in many areas with regards to this high-potency antioxidant in areas such as skin, eye, immune, cardiovascular, brain, digestive, fertility, and muscle health.
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Dietary Fibers
By far one of the most significant roles of polysaccharides is that of support. They are an excellent source of dietary fiber and help provide the food in which probiotics feed on or known as prebiotic fiber. Since a low fiber diet is linked to many health issues such as cardiovascular disease, blood sugar control, immune weakness, and digestive disorders, adding more fiber is key to building a healthy supplement foundation.
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)
Essential Fatty Acids are called essential because your body cannot make them and therefore, they need to come from the diet. It is now well documented that the average Western diet is low in EFAs and therefore supplementing is critical. Omega-3 and 6 provide almost too many benefits to list here in this article. Suffice it to say that they provide benefit to every cell in our body regardless of what type of cell, i.e., heart, lung, skin, eye, nerve, etc. Modern medicine even embraces their use for these areas:
- Nervous system
- Cardiovascular system
- Eye Health
- Systemic Inflammation
- Immune Health
- Joint Health
- Skin Health
It is because of benefits with these health challenges that I include them in my foundational health program. Both Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are found in abundance in the whole food source (HP) for the AstaPure® Arava powder. HP yields approximately 30 percent lipids (good fats) of which 24 percent are omega-6 (linoleic acid) and also contains a large amount of the omega-3 ALA.
Key Vitamins and Minerals
The importance of taking vitamins and minerals as supplements often gets overlooked or viewed as a waste of money. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The reasons we take vitamins and minerals are endless: Foods are often low in nutrients for many reasons; they may be picked before ripening, ravaged by pesticides, a victim of over–farming, etc. I asked a guest on my radio program what nutrient he thought was the most important to take. His answer was “the one you are missing.” This is a remarkable example of why we need to supplement. A multivitamin won’t eliminate your health challenge but taking a multivitamin may prevent one.
HP naturally contains essential vitamins and minerals including B2, B5, B6, B8, and D3. Getting these essential nutrients from a whole food allows for easy digestion and absorption in assisting the body by the support the physiological function of enzymes, cellular processes, cellular communication and act as precursors for functional molecules.
Additional Nutritional Benefits of AstaPure® Arava powder
The algae HP contains essential amino acids which provide added benefits to muscle maintenance, recovery, and other physiologic functions. As we can see, AstaPure® Arava powder added to any dietary supplement or by itself will go a long way to supporting the minimal and foundational supplement needs at any age.
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